DAVID GUETTABig Edition

ÏU MAG invited David to reveal the ten records that had changed his life

And slowly but surely he is making 2017 his own. Who else can roll out a single with Justin Bieber and follow up with Bruno Mars whilst holding down two weekly residencies in Ibiza? Love him or hate him, the man is in a league of his own. £e release of ‘2U’ with pop cheese-turned- cool Mr Bieber certainly raised a few eyebrows at the start of the summer. “Justin’s career is just mind blowing. I think it’s really cool that he has come from this teenage artist to one of the most credible on the planet and this song represented everything I love about making music, making people dance with a tear in their eye.” £e island of Ibiza fell in love with David’s song ethos back in 2002 when there wasn’t a dancefloor or beach on the island where we didn’t hear shiny happy people telling each other that all it took was just a little more love and peace to live the dream. If ever there was a song that summed up that hot White Isle summer, ‘Just A Little More Love’ was it. “My origins come from house music, a scene which was built on emotions and there are too many DJs out there today who forget this and rely too heavily on the energy side of things. I think it is so important to find the balance between the two, I’m always trying to bring people together and love the idea of unity through music.” £is summer has seen David cut back on his touring schedule to base himself at his Ibiza villa working on his next album. “I have so many great songs already completed and I am desperate to release them, but my feeling is that they just sound a little too David Guetta if you know what I mean?” he laughs mid photo shoot at Ushuaïa. “£is is a very exciting time for music, the cycle has come full circle and that’s why I am trying to create a fresh direction for myself.” What of the collaboration rumours I ask, teasing him with the names of Shakira, Sean Paul and dare I say it, £e Black Eyed Peas currently doing the rounds? “Yes I have been working with these guys and I’m not going to lie, there are some big hits sitting there. But we’ll see” he smiles with a glint in his eye, “I want my next album to my best and surprise people this time round.” It’s an interesting point made by David, ‘surprise people’. We live in this crazy world where people love to make stars of people and when they are at their peak shoot them down in a hail of jealous bullets. So how bulletproof is he I ask, is his skin really made of titanium? “Hahaha, pretty much. All I have ever done in my career is follow my heart and tried to be sincere with my music. When I started to make music and cross over I started to receive some criticism, so I said ‘look, I’m not trying to be credible, I’m trying to be incredible. I hope I am friends with everyone and even if I don’t like their music, I still respect their work because I know how diffi cult creating is. At the end of the day I make a lot of people really happy and I am still the guy who sells the most tickets on the island.” Elsewhere in Ibiza a certain Cathy Guetta has been making waves of her own, opening up her own beach club Bagatelle at Cala Moli. Are they still friends I ask, not sure on his response? “Of course we are, I love Cathy and I think it is amazing what she has done at Bagatelle and at Hï also. She has made a spectacular comeback and I am very proud.” And with that he’s bundled into the back of a waiting car and off to the next engagement in the crazy life of David Guetta. “You know Dan” he concludes as he says his goodbyes, “this is the happiest I have been in a long time. And I feel my best is yet to come.”

BIG every Monday at Ushuaia has been busier than ever this summer.

THE 10 RECORDS THAT
CHANGED MY LIFE

“There have been so many amazing records that over the years have
affected both my professional and private life. Music sets a mood for
every moment of my life and without it I wouldn’t be where I am
today…”

The first record I bought

THE ROLLING STONES

‘Miss You’

I’ve been holding on so long

Sleeping all alone

And I miss you

Buying my first record was a big deal for me as a kid. This Stones hit was influenced by the discotheques of the 70s, but I remember the artwork on the cover as much as the music as it was a beautiful cut out of the guys faces. However much I love today’s convenience of today’s digital music, there is something I miss about the days of going into a record shop and coming out with such a cool object.

The song i wish I’d have written

MICHAEL JACKSON

‘Thriller’

It’s close to midnight and

something evil’s lurking in

the dark

Under the moonlight

you see a sight that almost

stops your heart

Quite simply, the best album ever made. When I used to listen to Billie Jean I couldn’t understand how they could make it sound so phat. So I went away and studied the type of compressors they used but still couldn’t get anywhere near it - it’s crazy because they didn’t have the technology that we have today. It is a stunning piece of music with a combination of timeless songs, amazing compositions, incredible cutting edge production and ultimately, it makes you want to dance.

The tune that got me hooked on dance music

FARLEY JACKMASTER FUNK

‘Love Can’t Turn Around’

Now this is how it started

My dreams all broken-hearted

This was the first time I heard house music and the only way I can describe it is a revolution went off in my head. Everything changed from this moment on. Then Marshall Jefferson came along with ‘Move Your Body’ and this blew my mind even more. At the time there were no French clubs playing this type of music and I’d gained access via tapes I had sent over from America. Hearing these two songs made me look at music in a completely different way.

The song that made me famous

JUST A LITTLE MORE LOVE

Just a little more love

Just a little more peace

Is all it takes

To live the Dream

I made this in 2001 and after a Wally Lopez remix it became a huge hit in Ibiza the next summer. I have always been a huge fan of Erick Morillo and one afternoon at Space he called me into the DJ booth and played this record. I wasn’t prepared for what happened next as suddenly the whole club were singing my song. I just stood there with my mouth open and the craziest goosebumps as I realised my tune had become an anthem in Ibiza. And I didn’t even know it.

The track I am proudest of

TITANIUM

You shout it out

But I can’t hear a word you say

I was not really famous when we did this and I was mixing edgy pop and dance music which was a new style for me and kinda brave. But ‘Titanium’ is so timeless, you can pick up a guitar or sit at a piano and play it and it will sound amazing. I think it sits at number five on the album and when we released it we didn’t think it would have the success it did. It’s just an incredible piece of song writing.

The tune that always reminds me of Ibiza

STARDUST

‘Music Sounds Better With You’

Love might bring us

both together, I feel so good

I feel right, the music sounds better with you

An unbelievable record and being French made me especially proud. People would laugh at me when I used to tell them I was a DJ from France, but when French Touch came along everything changed for everyone. Created by Thomas Bangalter, Alan Braxe and singer Benjamin Diamond, I can remember them coming to Miami WMC with 10 copies to give to the biggest DJs which is how tunes were broken back then. An immense piece of music.

A dance music game changer

LIL LOUIS

‘French Kiss’

Many records changed the game when it comes to dance music, but this was a complete revolution in sound. Completely instrumental with a hypnotic bassline, very few chord changes and of course the girl. The crazy part was that it crossed over to the mainstream which just showed the quality of it. It still touches people today.

A classic that is always in my box

DJ ROLANDO

Knights Of The Jaguar

One of my favourite tracks to close a night when I’m playing a long set in a club and have taken people on a trip. This is the ‘one more’ tune, a classic that will never die.

My guilty pleasure record

KATY PERRY

Firework

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag

Drifting through the wind wanting to start again?

I don’t really have any guilty pleasure songs because I love all music, but this is a little bit guilty right? When I think of pop music with all the cheese that can go with it, this is the absolute one. They absolutely nailed it. How did they make a record that makes you feel so good, it’s just straight up happiness.

The song that makes me feel I can do anything

THE BLACK EYED PEAS

I Gotta Feeling

Tonight’s the night night

Lets live it up I got my money

Lets spend it up

When we made this song there was a huge money crisis going on in the world and everyone was so depressed and broke. We were like ‘fuck everything, fuck everybody, let’s just have a great night and be happy for one moment’. Personally I never thought in a million years that I would ever be able to make such a positive record that became one of the biggest selling tracks of all time. Insane.